rve-port re.lative tTo 

Ocoa-CooK Inlet. 
'Rs.leioVi, 1817 




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C^&^. 



A^ 



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Book hjJlt 



REPORT 



helative to 



[No. IS.] 



^^m 



WWr^. 



^1^9 



182T. 



RALEIGH: 

I'RINTED BY LAWRENCE & LEMAYi 
Printers to the State, 



1827. 



9.(»F a 



BEPOUT. 



The committee, to whom was roferrod the memotiai ul sir.uh;,' 
citizens of N«'\vbern, Uashingtoii, 1*1 \ mmith, K'ieiiton, Vlu«lr»(s 
bin'ough, Elizabeth City and ijii-tfoid, liiive ((cisidered the stiu 
jert to which the memoi'ialists invite the atte'iiioii ot the Lei^iis- 
lature, and resp«'cttnli> report: 

That yt)ur comuiittee iiave long been aware that the trade ol" a 
very large portion ol" the State labtmred under s^tious ineonve 
niences and sustained heavy losses, b\ reasmi oi' the shoals whici: 
obstruct the passage of vessels through 0(( acock Irdet. But of 
the extent of these inconvenieiues, and the enormity of tlicse 
losses, they hati formed a most inadefjuate lOiueptioii until their 
attention had been di-awn to this subjec t by tli(^ nienioiial undi'i' 
consideration. It aj)pears that Uccacock aflbids the >!idy outlet 
to the Ocean for the pioducts of the iisdustr^ of nearly half the 
State. Near the mouth of this outlet exist nnineitMiS and exit n- 
si\esJ»oals, to which is applied the general teim of the Swash, and 
through which winds a ditlicult channel, so shallow as init to per- 
mit vessels to pass of a greater draft Ol water than seven leet. 
Every vessel navigating theNeuse, the Trent, tlie Bay;, the 'I'ar, 
the Pungo, the iioanoke, Cashie, Chowan, Meiieiiin, i^erqui- 
mons and t^asquotank rivers, and t!ie noble Allntnarle and i-aoij)- 
tico Sounds, in going and returning from Sea, has to pass tlaough 
this tedious and obstructed channel. Every vessel ot respectable 
size must be lightened of a part of her caigo before this fjassagc 
can be effected, and is thus not oni} subjee ted to heavy chargi s of 
lighterage, and still heavier costs of detention, but to the moht 
Imminent perils in a situation of peculiar exposure. Vessels of a 
large burthen fit for ti'anspnrting lieav;^ products to distantports, 
are now almost unknown to the navigation of this jiart of the 
State, and therefore such products, when designed foi* distant 
markets, are transported coastwise, to be re sliii»ped in other 
vessels for the places of consumjition. Marty vcss^els of snia!! 
burthen, at avast additional expense, aie eniphjvi d to jiei fo: ii» 
what, but for these obstructions, might be performed by one. 
"W hen intelligence is^received of a favdrabie market, the ship 
owners, by reason of the unavoidable (hlavs at tiie Swash, arc 
anticipated by others having no such im])e(liments to encounter, 
and canniit avail themselves of the inlorniution. These evils, 
added to the charges of lightei-age, detention and inci eased rr.t* s 
of insurance, have raised tiu' pi-ice of freight to a rcinous amount. 

Upon those, by whose industry the products are made, la!' 
witii aggravated force the consequences Wi high iVeight 



double sliiiimcnts. It is impossible to compare tlie ordinary pu- 
ces of the staple commodities of our country in the ports con- 
nected with Occacocic and in those wliich have an tinobstrurted 
outlet to tlie ocean, without being stiurk with the enormous dif- 
ference. Stav s, shingles, lumber «)btain in the former about two 
tliirds of the price, whicli they command in the latter — Naval 
Stores about tiirce fourths — and the more valuable articles about 
seven eightlis It is tlien clear that the stave, shingle, and lum- 
ber-getter pays to the Swash an annual tax of one tiiird of what 
jiis labour produces; the maker of IN aval Stores pays one bari'cl 
in four, and the grower of cotton, one bale in eight. 

By reason of the badness of the home market, a vast quantity 
of our most valuable products is carried by expensive land car- 
riage to the towns of other States. Of thirty-eigiit thousand 
bales of cotton exported from Tctersburg in the last veai-, thirty 
thousand were brought thitlier from Nortli Carolina. The ex- 
penses of this transportation arc, of course, a tax upon tlie ])ro- 
ducer, while the products themselves swell the expoils, add to the 
commercial activity, and increase the importance of a sister State, 
to the injury of our own. 

The productive industry of the country not only is thus ta^ed 
in all wliich it makes for sale; it is taxed again, in all whi( h it 
consumes of imported articles. The pi ices of all commodilits 
imported through Occacock are higher by reason of its obstructed 
navigatio)!. TJie memorialists state, and your committee believe 
they are wai-ranted by the fact, that in the article of salt alone, 
this section of the country pays an annual tax of more than ten 
thousand dallars to the shoals of Occacock. 

If to the taxes upon industry, by reason of the diminished 
price of products sold at home, and of the expenses attending the 
tedious land caj-riage of those conveyed to the market towns of 
another State, and of tiie increased cost of impoi-ted articles, we, 
add the annual destructioii. as worthless, of the timber of o»u 
ioi'ests; all of which would be in immediate demand foi* ship- 
building, sj)ars, cabinet vvorI>, carpentry and fuel, the moment 
this bhickade of tho coast was i-elieved; your committee believe 
themselves within bounds when they state that North Caroiinii 
every yo.,\v sustains from tlie Swash a pecuniary loss of a million 
of dtdiars. 

NVhile the resources of the coinitry arc thus swallowed up i;i 
I'hcse sands, it is imjjossiblc tiiat the country should flourish. Al- 
tlioug'.i the wild woods abound with treasures of wealth, could r!iey 
be cheaply transported to foreign markets, and the swamps, [m- 
losons, and. low grounds are Jiot exceeded in fertility by tiie rich 
lands of the Mississijipi Valley, the hardy and enterprising jK>pu- 
lation is going forth, in a .steady and rapid stream to tha Wes- 



\ 



tfeiii states. The citizens Avho remain— -becaiisc tliey cannot 
break the ties of nature, ;ind habit, and necessity, \vliich bind 
them to their native land — ai-e torpid for the want of ex< iternent 
to ext'rtion, and discouraged by the unsuccessful results of all 
their efforts at improvement. 

It is iujpossible that your committee should not feel an anxious 
solicitude to relieve their country from tiiis fatal impediment to 
Jjer prosperity. 'J'hat the cliannel through these shoals may be 
drepent'd, cannot be doubted. Your committee liarn that the a( cu- 
mulation of sand and mud has been gradual for the last forty 
yeats, and what has been thus dejiosiled, may certainly be re- 
moved by art. It in true that similar causes may herraftcr oc- 
casion another deposition; but the ineans wliich can free tlir pre- 
sent obstructed channels, will be moie eftectu:'.! when applied in 
time to prevent their obstruction. If it shiuild be too expensive 
to remove or deepen the shoals, the use ol the contrivaticrs to 
Avhich the Hollarlders have given the exi)itssive name of " Cam- 
els," will carry vessels over them with ease and safety. It is the 
prerogative of intellect to triumph over physical ditliculties. To 
skill and energy and pei'severanct- {'a,' obstacles are insurmount- 
able. 

If the committee could state with prciision the expense which 
would certainly effectuate this great object, they would not hesi- 
tate to declare their opinion tliat such an expense should bo en- 
■" countered if within the competejicy of the State to meet it. On 
this subject they are w ithout exact infornialion, itnd in the pre- 
sent state of the Public Treasury they arc reluctant to recom- 
mend an apj)ropriation of money, which may not produce the 
desired result. Tiiey believe that men «if capita!, feeling aji im- 
mediate and deep interest in tlie subject, aie willing to engage in 
vlie experiment of itnproving this na\igati()i5 upon being j)ermit- 
ted to receive a moderate toll on the vessels which they may ena 
ble to pass unobstructed to the ocean. This experiment they hope 
and tiust will succeed. An enterprising indi\idual has declared 
iiis readiness to contract to make three feet additiimal water on 
the Swash for gGCOOO, and to keej) the channel tiuis (:ee{» for an 
annua! sum thereafter of £8,000. Those who may embark in this 
))raiseworthy undertaking are more cr»mpetent than the agents ot 
t.he State could be to judge of iiis ability to accomplish this result, 
and pjiibabiy will be n^oi-e exact in requiring the proper safe- 
guards agaifist failure, and more prudent and economical in their 
expenditures. In the mean time, under the authority of the 
Board of Internal Improvements, such information may be co! 
iected as will enable a succeeding Legislature to decide vvhcthci 
he public funds oughttobe applied in aid of the undertaking. 

To meet that provision of the fH)ns;tlt'ition of the United States 





/ 
which proliibits a State from layin.^ any duty on tonnage without \ 
the consent nl" Coiigiess, a provision tor obtaining that assent is 
necessary. It cannot be d'»ubted but that this assent will be 
yielde«l to further an objf'ct so interesting to the revenue, the 
commerce, and to the private and public marine of the United 
States. 

In fixing the rate of tolls, the Committee have been governed 
by the precedent set in a former act of the Legislature, passed in 
1821, for d'M'pening Blair's Channel in Pamptico Sound. From 
the best calculations which they have been able to make, the 
charge which these tolls may impose, will not exceed one tenth of 
those wliich directly or indirectly the navigatian now endures. 

In the other details of the bill wliich accomjjaiiy this report, the 
committee have endeavoured, with the utmost care, to combine 
two objects which are not easily made to concur. While it is 
dt'sirHbie tliat the State should have tlie power to relieve this na- 
vigation from exevy burthen, it is absolutely essential that they 
should hold out to indivi<iuals such a prospect of ren)uneration, 
in the event of siicces:^ as may induce them to advance their mo- 
ney for the a('complishment|pf an object all important to the 
State, and to which the State is not at present disposed to appro- 
priate the public funds. 

Your cojnmittee trust that the bill lierewith presented, is pro- 
perly guarded to effect both these pur|)oses. If it be not, its de- 
fects are not attributable to svaiit of zeal or of diligence on their 
part. 

In the humble but earnest hope that its enactments will have 
the effcrt to relieve our trade from an intohiable pressure, 
excite the enterprize of our merchants and reward the industry 
of our farmers, ext»-nd the resources, increase the population and 
advance the improvrment, the piosperity and the {Oijsequence of 
North-Carolina, your committee re|)ort to the House the accom- 
pany ing bill; and recommend that it be passed into a law. 
Respectfully submitted. 

>YiLL. GASTON, Chnirmav. 



'^ 



No. 13 



BILLS, BOJVDS AlVD IVOTES. 



The committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred a hill 
rcji^ulating tlie time within which demand shall be ma<k of the 
maker, and notice given totlie endorser of a bill, 'lom^ or promis- 
sory note, have had the same under considerati»)n, and report: 

That admitting '♦ the law merchant," which regulates the 
liability of endorsers of bills, bonds, and promiss«»ry notes, is not 
in every respect adapted to the pursuits, ciirumstances and habits 
of the people of this State, yet it is not perceived th»t the pjo- 
visions of the bill under consideration are calculat d to anniid or 
improve that law, and render its application to the cornlitiorj «»f 
the community more salutary. The law to which refermce is 
made, has stood the test of experience and of time; aid so far a« 
your committee are advised, its principh-s are wise and just, and 
should not be varied orchanged without the most confirmed con- 
viction that an improvement is attainable by th< Legislature. 

A uiajority of your committee therefore recommend that the 
liill h<Me\\itli tetiiincd to the House be rejected. 
Respectfully submitted. 

R. H. JO^'ES, Chairman. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



014 432 959 4 



